The Labour Party’s 2023 vice-presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, has insisted that Nigeria must not allow an election-rigger to replace Mahmood Yakubu when his 10-year tenure as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ends on November 9, 2025.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Baba-Ahmed criticised Yakubu for irregularities in the 2023 presidential election, which produced Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner.
“All I want is a credible person, not somebody who will blatantly rig what the constitution provides—25% in at least two-thirds of the states of the federation and the FCT—and then breach the constitution to put Nigeria in the situation it faces today. Just one individual. Throughout human history, individuals make or break societies,” he said.
Tinubu defeated Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Both men challenged the result up to the Supreme Court, but the apex court upheld Tinubu’s victory.
Yakubu, 75, a Professor of Political Science and former Executive Secretary of TETFund, became INEC chairman in November 2015 after his appointment by then President Muhammadu Buhari. He succeeded Attahiru Jega and was reappointed in 2020 for a second five-year term.
The responsibility for appointing Yakubu’s successor rests with President Tinubu, though debate has begun over the region the next INEC chairman should come from. For the past 15 years, the position has been held by northerners.
Baba-Ahmed argued that electoral recruitment remains the greatest challenge to Nigeria’s democracy.
“Our leadership recruitment is the bane of our problems. Electoral fraud is the single most important issue Nigeria must address, even more critical than insecurity. In fact, insecurity stems from electoral fraud. Corruption, the destruction of our youth, and the collapse of our systems are all aggravated by electoral fraud,” he stated.